Automobile frame



0. B. HARMON AUTOMOBILE FRAME A ril 5, 1938.

Filed Feb. 25, 1933 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 5, 1938 PATENT OFFICE 2,113,403 AUTOMOBILE FRAME OrlinB. Harmon, Lakewood, Ohio, assignor to The Midland Steel Products Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application February 23, 1933, Serial No. 658,160

9 Claims.

,-.This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automobile frames.

An important object of the invention is to pro vide improved means for connecting transversely extending cross members to the side rails or longitudinally extending members, including a joint incorporating fused material upon which stress will be reduced or eliminated and resistance totorsion supplied by the members united, rather than solely by the weld or fused material.

Another important object of the invention is to employ the transversely extending cross members not only for connecting the side rails together, but to provide reinforcements for the spaced apart web sections of closed box section side rails and also to form means for connecting such adjuncts as step hangers and spring hangers to the frame.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of the application and wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the several views,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a closed box section side rail showing one manner of connecting a transverse cross member thereto,

Fig. 2 is an exploded view illustrating other manners of connecting cross members to the side rails,

Fig. 3 is a section of the same assembled,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating a different form of closed box section side rail made up of two channel sections,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the same,

Fig. 6 is an elevation partly in section showing one manner of connecting a step hanger with a side rail,

Fig. '7 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line of Fig, 6,

Fig. 8 is an elevation, partly in section showing another manner of connecting the step hanger with the side rail,

Fig. 9 is a transverse section of the same taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 10 shows a different form of step hanger connected with the side rail,

Fig. 11 is a transverse section taken on the line l-l-Il of Figs. 6 to 13, inclusive,

Fig. 12 shows another form of combined step hanger and cross member correcting a pair of side rails,

Fig. 13 shows still a further form,

Fig. 14 is a transverse section taken on the line l4l4 of Fig. 12,

Fig. 15 illustrates another modified form of closed box section side rail formed of two inverted channel sections,

Fig.16 is a transverse section taken through Fig. 5.

Referring first to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, the numeral 20 designates a closed box section side rail for an automotive vehicle, composed of I oppositely facing channel sections 2| and 22 with their flanges 23 extending toward each other and adapted to be welded together as at 24, preferably by butt-welding the longitudinal edges of the flanges together whereby the vertical web portions are spaced apart and the section modulus of the rail increased over the usual channel side rail.

In order to properly space the two side rails of a chassis and to resist torsion and shear, the side rails are connected together by a plurality of transversely extending cross members of any desired shape and cross section. The ends of two such cross members are illustrated in Fig. 2, the one 25 being tubular and polygonal, while the other 26 is tubular and cylindrical as illustrated. The end of each tubular cross member is extended through a circular opening 21 in the innermost web 2| of the web of the side rail and its free end is provided with a series of axially extending notches 28, thereby equipping the end of the cross member with a plurality of circumferentially arranged spaced axially extending projections 29 arranged in the same plane with the cylindrical cross member. These projections 29 are adapted to be inserted through correspondingly arranged and shaped slots 30, provided in the outer web of the rail. The projections 29, are adapted to fairly snugly fit the slots 30 and are of sufficient length to extend beyond the web portions as shown in Fig. 3 so that they may be fused down with a welding torch flush or substantially so with the outer face of the rail and at the same time are fused to the edges of the slots or openings 30. The portion of the tubular cross member 26 adjacent the edges of opening 2'! is welded by a circumferential weld outside of the inner web to the edges of opening 27 so that the ends of these cross members not only securely connect the two side rails, but form reinforcements for the closed box section side rail by extending through and being secured to the spaced apart web portions. Furthermore, by providing means which prevent the turning of the tubular cross member 26 upon its axis, the fused material is, to some extent, re-

lieved of stress due to any tendencies of the cross members and side rails to twist relative to one another, since the projections engaging the ends of the slots 30 bear the brunt of such stresses. Furthermore, the registration of the projections 29 with their slots 3|] assists in the proper positioning of tubular cross members, especially where they have portions bent out of their longitudinal axis to form clearance for other parts of the automobile or chassis.

The cross member 25 is polygonal in cross section and is adapted to extend through a polygonal opening 3| in the inner web of the side rail and a correspondingly shaped opening 32 in the outer web of the rail. It is: preferably formed by butt-welding the edges of two channel stampings as shown. The extreme end of this polygonal cross member is extended slightly beyond the outer web of the rail to be fused down and united to this web by a suitable welding torch. The portion of the cross member which extends through the inner web is preferably welded to the inner web of the rail and to the edges of the opening 3| therein. If desired, the projections 29 of the tubular cross member can be eliminated and this end of the member extended through a circular opening in the outer web of the rail for a substantial distance beyond the same to constitute a step hanger 5'! or a mounting for a spring hanger bracket or the like as indicated in Fig. 12. Likewise, the ends of the polygonal cross member may be extended for the same purpose and in either case the ends are welded to the outer webs of the rails.

In Fig. 1, a closed box section side rail is shown formed from an inverted channel section 33 to provide the vertical spaced webs 34 and 35 with their lower margins turned into oppositely extending flanges 36 and 31 respectively. The box section of the rail is completed by securing a flat metal plate 39 to the under surfaces of the flanges 36 and 31 by any desired type of welding, al though arc welding of the exposed longitudinal edges of the flanges and the bottom plate 39 is preferred at present. In order to provide for the extension of a cross member through the closed box section side rail, the bottom plate 39 where the cross member 40 is to rest, is provided with a slightly raised portion 4| provided with a transversely extending seat 42 so that the seat is in substantial horizontal registration with the bottom of an opening 43 in the outer web 34 of the rail. In order to accommodate the cross member through the web portion 35, a portion thereof together with the adjacent portions of the flange 31 are formed outwardly into a skirt portion 44, having a seat portion 45 formed therein complementary to the seat 42 in order to form a snug fit about the end of the cross member 40. The end of the cross member is received between the two seat portions and welded thereto while the outer extremity of the cross member extends on through the closed box section side rail and the opening 43 to project beyond the outer face of this web a slight distance to be fused to the web as in the preceding modification, or it may be extended on for a substantial distance to form a mounting for a spring hanger bracket or the like. Since an optical illusion appears to be present in Fig. 1, a transverse section of the joint between the cross member and side rail is shown in Fig. 16.

The manner of connecting cross member 4|) with the side rails is the same in Fig. 4 as it is in Fig. 1 for side rails of closed box section of a different type. In this instance, the closed box section for the side rail is provided by nesting one channel shaped section 46 within a second channel section 41 with their vertical web portions spaced apart and their flanges 48 extending inwardly of the chassis frame to be secured together in any desired manner, although they are preferably attached in the above relationship by arc welding along the longitudinally extending exposed edges 49. The lower flange of the outer channel section 41 at the point of attachment of the cross member 4|) is formed similar to the bottom plate 39 of the form of side rail shown in Fig. 1 and the same numerals with prime coefficients are employed to designate parts of Fig. 4 which correspond to those illustrated in Fig. 1. The inner channel section 46 is also formed with the skirt 44 and seat 45 in the same manner as the inner web and horizontal flange of the inverted channel section 34 in Fig. 1.

Fig. shows another modified form of the closed box section side rail, the numeral 50 indicating an inverted channel section 50 with a correspondingly formed smaller inverted channel section 5| nested within the bottom of section 50 so that the edges 52 of these two sections are arranged in longitudinal aligmnent for attachment in any suitable manner although preferably by arc welding the edges as in the form illustrated in Fig. 4. The cross member 53 in this instance may be secured to the spaced apart webs of the closed box section side rail in any of the manners hereinbefore specified.

In Figs. 6 to 14 inclusive, various forms of step hangers and methods of connecting the same to the closed box section side rails have been illustrated and it will be understood that other adjuncts of the chassis such as spring hangers and the like may be mounted in somewhat similar manners. In all of these figures the structural details of the closed box section side rails have not been illustrated and it is to be understood that any desired form of closed box section side rail may be employed. However, they will, for purposes of illustration be designated in all forms by the numeral as its structure more closely follows the form of rail illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

Referring to Figs. 6, '7 and 12, the numeral 54 designates one end of a tubular cross member, the other end of which extends similarly through the spaced apart web portions of the opposite rail 20 and if desired may be formed with an integral stephanger 62 at its other end. In this event, the end of the cross member illustrated in Fig. 6 is passed through both side rails 20 so as to properly dispose its integral step hanger, after which it is welded to the webs of both side rails. This disposes the open straight end of the cross member as illustrated in Fig. 6 to receive the tubular inner end 55 of a step hanger formed from tubular stock and adapted to be secured within the end of the cross member by the same weld 56 which secures the outer end of the cross member to the outer web portion of the side rail. These step hangers 51 are tubular throughout their lengths and are substantially of Z shape, so as to provide a horizontal step supporting portion 58.

In Figs. 8 to 14 inclusive, the upper horizontal portion 59 of each step hanger is not received in the end of the cross member but is connected directly to the spaced apart web portions of the box section rail as by fusing down the extremity of the hanger to the edges of the opening in the inner web portion, while that portion of the hanger enclosed by the edges of the opening through the outer web are welded thereto by a circumferential weld 60. The horizontal portion of the hanger which extends through the side rail is circular in cross section as shown in Fig. 9, While in Figs. 10 and 11 the horizontal portion, BI is somewhat elliptical and is secured to the spaced apart webs in the same manner. With this cross section, tendencies for the said hanger to rotate on the axis of its arm 59 are precluded.

In Figs. 12 and 14, the vertical portions 62 of the step hanger are provided with a pair of integral outwardly projecting arms 63 which abut the outer web of the rail to be welded thereto as at 64.

In Fig. 13, the steadying abutment of the step hanger of the side rail is provided by equipping the vertical arm 65 of the step hanger with an integral pressed out portion 66 adapted for abutment with the outer surface of the side rail and adapted to be welded or otherwise secured thereto. The outer portion of the vertical arm 65 is provided with an opening 61 by which this pressed out portion may be formed and connected to the side rail.

It is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automobile frame, sheet metal side rails each formed into closed box section by juxtaposed complementary members, the juxtaposed surfaces of said members having complementary seats, and a cross member having its ends received in said seats and extended through the outer webs of said rails.

2. In an automobile frame, sheet metal side rails each formed into a channel section having at least one horizontal flange provided with a seat, and a cross member having its ends received in said seats and welded to the web portions of the side rails.

3. In an automobile frame, box section sheet metal side rails each formed from a channel section having at least one horizontal flange provided with an arcuate seat, and a tubular cross member having its ends received in said seats and extending through both web portions of each side rail and welded thereto.

4. In an automobile frame, side rails each formed into closed box section with spaced vertical webs, a tubular cross member having a bracket formed on. one end thereof, the other end of the member being passed through the webs of both rails and Welded thereto, and a bracket having a portion received in said last named end of the tubular member and secured thereto.

5. In an automobile frame, side rails each having a portion formed into closed box section with spaced vertical webs, a tubular substantially Z- shaped step hanger having a portion extended through the spaced apart webs and secured thereto, and a brace secured to the vertical leg of the hanger and to the web of the rail.

6. In an automobile frame, side rails each including a channel section having one horizontal flange provided with a seat extending through the web and arranged between portions of the flangeconverging toward the seat, and a tubular cross member having its ends received in said seats and secured thereto.

7. In an automobile frame, side rails each composed of a channel section having one horizontal flange provided with a seat arranged between pressed up portions of the flange converging to the seat, and a channel section of less depth nested Within each first named section with the webs thereof spaced apart to form. each rail into closed box section, said second section having a seat complementary to that of the first named section, and a tubular cross member having its ends secured in said seats.

8. In an automobile frame, side rails subjected to torsional stresses and each formed into closed box section by a channel-shaped section having its channel closed by a flat plate secured thereto, the juxtaposed surfaces of said section and plate having complementary seats, and a cross member having its ends secured in said seats to assist in fastening the complementary members of each side rail together.

9. In an automobile frame, side rails subjected to torsional stresses and each formed into closed box section by a channel-shaped section having its channel closed by a. flat plate secured thereto, the juxtaposed surfaces of said section and plate having a seat between them, and a cross member having its ends secured in said seats.

ORLIN B. HARMON. 

